1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a method for transmitting information to a portable terminal such as a wearable terminal connected to an information terminal, and particularly to an information notification method used when a portable information terminal connected to a wearable terminal is connected to a car-mounted device mounted inside a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
As multi-function portable terminals typified by smartphones become widely available, new services or systems in which smartphones collaborate with other external equipment also become widely available. For example, a car-mounted device such as a car navigation device is connected to a smartphone so that functions included in the smartphone may be performed from the car-mounted device, enabling the functions of the smartphone to be enjoyed in the vehicle cabin. Recently, small wearable terminals, such as a bracelet smartwatch and an eyeglass-type terminal, worn on a human body are becoming available. It is anticipated that collaboration of the small wearable terminals with smartphones will cause new services such as human body health care to become available.
A smartwatch is worn on a person's wrist, like the way in which a wristwatch is worn, and is capable of obtaining heartbeat information and the like of the wearer. A smartwatch is capable of being connected to a portable information terminal such as a smartphone through wireless communication using Bluetooth® or the like. By using dedicated applications and the like, the connected smartphone may manage, as a health log, information such as the heartbeat information obtained by a smartwatch. In contrast, smartphones are capable of being wirelessly connected to not only a smartwatch but also a car-mounted device such as a car navigation device mounted inside a vehicle. A single smartphone may perform wireless communication with multiple other devices. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-147146 discloses a connection control method used when a device connected to a certain device receives a connection request from a different device. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-187421 discloses a communication device which achieves a reduction in time required for operations of specifying and changing a communication target in communication using Bluetooth®.
In the case where a smartwatch is connected to a portable information terminal such as a smartphone, for example, when information on an event, such as mail reception and a pop-up display, is transmitted to the smartphone, the information is further transmitted from the smartphone to the smartwatch. On the smartwatch, the notification information is displayed, a sound is output, or the smartwatch is vibrated. This is convenient for a user because the user may easily view the notification without having to take out their smartphone.
However, when the user is in a vehicle while their smartwatch is connected to their smartphone, a notification transmitted to the smartphone is transmitted to the smartwatch even while driving. As illustrated in FIG. 17, a driver moves their line of sight to a smartwatch W to view a display screen D of the smartwatch W. This action is not desirable from the viewpoint of safe driving. In some conditions, a notification about pop-up information or the like transmitted to a smartphone is not necessarily displayed on both of the smartphone and the smartwatch, and a notification displayed on only the smartphone may be sufficient.